The Ares Factor
by Ellixer
Summary: Had a fraction of a dream so this is me trying to flesh that out. It's a first time mixed in with drama.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Ares Factor

Rating: M

Author: Ellixer

Pairing: X/G

Disclaimer: Characters and show are owned by Universal and others. The story is mine. I make nothing.

Note: Had a fraction of a dream so this is me trying to flesh that out. It's a first time mixed in with drama.

_Suddenly he stops, looking past me with a salacious grin. I turn to see her standing there, shock and pain burning in her eyes._

'_I thought you left me?' I ask._

'_I'd never leave you.' Her eyes dart past me. 'Till now.' She looks down at an object in her hands before dropping it. She gives me one more look as she turns around, walking away for good._

It's grey, cold, and about to rain enough to drown us where we stand. For some reason though, Xena insists on walking this incredibly slow pace, and I don't even think we're heading the right direction.

'Xena, where are you taking us?' She gives me a grin.

'Don't worry, we're almost there.' A few steps more then she stops.

'How many?' I ask.

'Ten.'

'Oh is that all?' She grins at me.

'You want more?' I nudge her with my elbow. Are most people this nonchalant with being ambushed?

'Look what we have here?' The band of dirty men coming pouring out onto the road from both sides. I'm fairly certain not one of them has ever cleaned themselves, the stench is nearly overwhelming. All of them sneer at us with mouths that are half empty; their teeth having rotted away years ago.

'I'm not sure I want to get any closer.' I say quietly to Xena, slightly leaning towards her while still looking at the ramshackle group in front of us. 'I feel dirty just standing here.' She grins but begins to move forward anyway.

'Have a problem boys?' Her cocky attitude goes into full swing as she pulls her sword out of its sheath. They cackle, all looking at each other in amusement.

'I love it when they fight.' Says a thin one, who must be the leader as he does all the talking.

'Well I haven't got all day.' She flashes her crazy feral smile as she goes into her fighting stance. The men cackle again before the leader urges them forward. I bring my staff up in a defensive position. I just hope we can get this over with before the clouds burst.

Xena's war cry fills the air as she flips into the group of men. No one expects someone to willing come into a situation where you're outnumbered, let alone a woman. She takes advantage of their shocked sluggishness by taking three out with a spinning kick. Their shock is short lived as they descend, but not all have focused on Xena.

Three men turn toward me, leering as they slowly advance. Well here goes nothing. I react out of instinct, the ends of my staff flashing out hitting the men as they come within hitting distance. They don't expect the force with which I swing, hitting a kidney on one, the temple of another. One manages to doge but I twirl my staff swinging it back towards his head before he fully recovers his footing.

As he falls I feel the first few drops of rain hit my skin. Great, it takes forever for my clothes to dry out. Xena's already grabbing Argo's reigns again, walking as if nothing just happened. Of course moments like these are the ones she loves most. You can tell by the smile she has as she swings her sword. I found it creepy at first, but It's just who she is.

'Are you coming or not?' She asks me, looking back with a smirk on her face. I jog quickly, catching up to her just as it really begins to pour.

'Are we nearly there?' I have to shout into the din of the rain. She merely takes us off the road and onto a small trail. The rain is slowed here by the canopy above us, but it has also made it considerably darker. We walk a path that looks barely used and is overgrown with vines and saplings.

'Xena….' Before I can say more she points in front of us. It's a small hut that nearly blends in with its surroundings.

'Go ahead.' She urges as she pulls Argo to what looks like a small shelter just for a horse. I hesitate for a moment then approach slowly. There is no covering for the entryway, aside from a sheet of spider webs. The inside is small but in a cozy way. Everything seems remarkably well preserved but still in a state of decay. There's a small bed, half collapsed to one side. A hearth for cooking and a small table are on the other side. The roof needs a few patches but otherwise seems to be holding. Xena strides in, dropping the saddle bags on the floor.

'How did you know about this place?' She smiles at my wonderment.

'I built it.' Oh one of those places from when she was a warlord. 'Not when I was a warlord.' She grins at me. 'Just a place for solitude once when I needed it.' She begins to look around, assessing the damage; that's when I notice her damage.

'Xena, we need to treat your cuts.' I reach up, touching the skin next to the cut above her eyebrow.

'It's nothing.' I glare at her. 'Ok fine.' As I look through the saddle bag for a cloth and some salve, she sits on the edge of the table. I wet the cloth before stepping up between her legs, dabbing at the cut on her face. She hisses a little and I can't help but smile.

'What are you smiling for?' She narrows her eyes.

'Nothing.' But I can't suppress the smile. She grabs my wrist, refusing to let me finish.

'Gabrielle?'

'You just took on ten men but you can't handle me cleaning a small scrape.' She glares at me a second longer before she lets my wrist go, mumbling under her breath. I'm pretty sure if I was anyone else she would have killed me. I move onto the gash on her shoulder which is a bit deeper.

'I think you got lucky here.' I wipe it carefully. 'I don't think it's deep enough for stitches.' I can feel her breath against my cheek, hot and fast. Clearing my throat I straighten up, looking her in the eye. 'Anything else?' Her face is serious, eyes locked and piercing mine. I can't tell if she's mad at me because I laughed or what it is.

'I didn't mean to make fun of you.' I whisper, unsure of what the problem is. She grabs both my wrists, pulling me closer so our faces are inches away. No, she's not angry, but it's just as intense. My mouth has gone dry so I lick my lips. Her eyes flick to my mouth, watching the movement of my tongue. Umm….

Her movement is slow, barely noticeable till her lips are suddenly touching mine. I'm frozen, no idea what to do, how to respond or how to act. She keeps going, her lips just softly lifting up then coming back down upon mine. My eyes close of their own volition as I feel my body lean slightly into hers. I begin to respond to her small kisses with small kisses of my own.

She seems to take that as her cue, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me against her. The kiss evolves from probing gentleness into lustful need. Something has overcome me, I'm not sure what it is but it burns and it feels good. I drop whatever is in my hands, my fingers moving to her back, clawing at her leather.

Our tongue meet, tangle, wrap around each other. Suddenly I'm kissing her like I've never kissed anyone before and it's taking my breath away. Another shock hits me as I feel her hand slide down my abdomen and under the hem of my skirt. In a swift movement I feel her fingers pushing into me, causing me to gasp out in surprise. She stands, one arm still wrapped around my waist, the other moving in and out of my body in slow languid movements.

I can't breath as each time she moves her fingers seems to cause a shock to roll through my body. Her lips move to my neck where she begins to kiss and suck on my skin. I'm overwhelmed in seconds by the most intense sensation I've ever felt. I can't even begin to describe it besides it's a feeling of ecstasy.

Xena's head is buried in my neck, gasping as she removes her fingers. Neither of us say anything, but she stands still, holding me up on my feet until she's sure I can stand on my own. Then she simply walks out of the hut without so much as a word or a glance.


	2. Chapter 2

Ares 2

I'm frozen and I'm sure a couple of years have passed me by. Xena is outside, patching the roof as the rain continues to pour. A random rumble of thunder eventually breaks me from my trance. My brain has stopped working though so I begin to do things as if someone else is controlling me.

I sweep away cobwebs and dirt, move the pallet to the floor and use the wood bed frame as kindle for the fire. I place one bedroll across the bed; the other close to the fire where I sit down, hugging my knees to my chest. My clothes are still soaked through but I barely notice it anymore.

I'm confused, surprised, scared, unsure, excited. What in Haedes name just happened? My fingers trace across my lips as I stare at the flames in a trance. I love her, I do, but I never realized that my love could be of the same kind I felt for Perdicus. I mean it just never occurred to me that it was possible, even though I love her more than anyone I have ever known. Am I just stupid and naive?

My body is beginning to shiver, despite the heat of the fire. The dampness is finally getting to me, bringing me out of my shock. I peel my clothes of and hang them over the back of the chair, then a grab a blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders before resuming my spot in front of the fire.

Her hand on my shoulder startles me out of my thoughts. I look up at her, hair dripping wet, leather sticking tightly to her body. In her hand is a shiny green apple. Giving me a small smile she hands it to me before walking away. I bite into the crisp fruit just to give me something to do.

I avert my eyes as Xena begins to strip out of her things, laying them across the table as each item is removed. It takes little time before she's sitting next to me, a blanket wrapped around her body. I find myself wanting to stare at her, and in actuality find it very difficult not to. She's said nothing about what happened and acts as if it didn't happen. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take that. So we just sit in silence, staring into the flickering flames.

We sit for so long that I in fact momentarily forget the awkwardness I was feeling and find myself leaning into her, my head resting on her shoulder.

'Gabrielle?' Her voice is quiet but it sounds loud in the silence we've been covered in.

'Hmm.' My eyes fall close, the warmth of the fire on my face is lulling.

'I love you.'

'I love you too.' Her body tenses as she goes silent again. I'm on the edge of sleep when she grabs me roughly by my arms, forcing me to turn and face her. I'm more than a little startled, but the look she is giving me confuses me even more.

'Gabrielle. I love you.' She emphasizes each word.

'Ok.' I feel like I'm missing something. Xena actually begins to laugh.

'Sometimes you're soo…..' Her eyes search mine as she tries to find the word she's looking for. 'Young.' She finally says but it feels like that's not really the words she was going for.

'Is that an insult, because right now I'm not sure.' My brow furrows as I try to figure out what she's trying to say. She just laughs some more. Slowly she brings her hand up, the back of her fingers stroke my cheek as her laughter fades and is replaced by something a little more serious. I'm finally beginning to connect the dots; I'm not sure why I'm so slow since I've been thinking about that very thing.

'Idiot.' Is the only word I can seem to get out.

'What?'

'I'm not young, I'm an idiot.' Her smile comes flashing back at me.

'You're not an idiot.' Her hand cups my cheek now as she looks at me with such soft eyes.

'Don't laugh but I didn't know that it was something that could happen, I mean to me.' I shake my head at myself, averting my eyes back towards the fire.

'And now?' She asks, emotions becoming guarded. I force myself to look at her.

'I've always loved you Xena, I just didn't know it could go beyond friendship. Not until you kissed me. So many things just make sense all of a sudden.'

'Like what?' She's trying to get me to confess to anything and everything that is going on in my head.

'I've looked at you and thought how beautiful you are, but I've thought that about other women. It's more like a feeling of jealousy, of wanting to be as beautiful as they are. But when I thought about you, it was different and I could never quite figure out why. I wasn't jealous of your body, I just admired it.' Xena simply nods her head as she pulls her blanket tighter around her body.

'I always think about you, and I dream about you. And when you died…. But I just figured that was because we are always together and I rely on you so much.' I suddenly feel small and like a child. 'Besides, shouldn't you be going for a warrior with big muscles and a big…sword.' I grin at her, trying to make the whole thing feel less serious. She grins back, her eyebrow arching high.

'I think it's time for a change.' Her voice becomes low and sultry, throwing me off a little.

'I think I'm a little drastic. Why don't you try Joxer?' I'm giggling before her face even changes to one of disgust.

'That's not funny.' She narrows her eyes as she sets her jaw firm. My eyes drift to our clothes.

'My clothes aren't dry yet.'

'So?'

'So I'm tired.'

'So sleep.' I shrug my shoulders at her, making my way over to the bed. Curling up into a ball with my blanket around me, my eyes fall closed quickly. Before I can fall asleep though I feel Xena's body wrap me from behind, her arm pulling me closer to her. I take her hand in mine and pull it up under my chin. I can't help it, it just feels so comfortable.

A noise brings me out of my deep slumber. I'm lying, sprawled out on my stomach with the blanket barely covering any part of my body. Craning my head a little I find Xena dousing the fire.

'Don't I get to eat?' I ask groggily. She turns giving me a grin.

'You think I'd let you starve?'

'If it meant getting on the road quicker.' She gives me a look of mock disgust.

'You know how I need my breakfast in the morning.' I smile back at her, then drop my head back down and close my eyes. 'Hey, it's already mid-morning. Get up.' My clothes come flying through the air, hitting my face with a smack. How rude.

Breakfast consists of berries and jerky. Not my idea of filling but I really wasn't given a choice. We get back on the road, heading nowhere in particular at the moment. Sometimes I really like the aimless traveling and the found adventures. Life is so much more exciting when you don't know what's coming next.

'Xena?'

'Hmmm.' Her eyes scan ahead before she looks at me.

'What do you want from me?' She stops suddenly, confusion marring her brow.

'What?'

'I mean, you said you love me right?'

'Yes.' She looks at me warily.

'Well what do you want from me?' Her mouth drops open and I'm not entirely sure she's breathing.

'Is this a trick question?' She looks completely uncomfortable right now, and I so want to laugh. I can only manage to shake my head no.

'I didn't really think about it.' She tries to look convincing, but is failing horribly. I try to control the smirk that keeps threatening to spread across my face.

'Relax Xena. I thought you weren't afraid of anything.' I try not to giggle as I start walking again, leaving Xena standing by Argo for a full minute. Finally, she practically comes running to catch up to me and acts nonchalant.

'I'm not afraid.' She says with a false sense of bravado.

'Ahuh, sure.'

'Hey, I'm just polite.' She tries to glare menacingly at me, but I'm beyond that at the moment. I pat her arm reassuringly.

'Whatever you say Xena. Whatever you say.'


	3. Chapter 3

Note: sorry on the slowness, migraines are not conducive to writing, or moving, or breathing.

Ares 3

'I've been thinking.' She mumbles.

'About what?' I watch as a barmaid brings our food and drinks. Xena waits silently till she's gone again

'I shouldn't have done that.' She keeps her eyes lowered, staring intently at her food.

'What exactly?' I pop a piece of bread into my mouth.

'The other day. What I did…..it was wrong.'

'You mean in the hut?' I momentarily forget my hunger, shoving my plate to the side.

'Yeah.' She finally looks up at me, ashamed.

'Xena, I admit it was….unexpected, but you did nothing wrong. ' I lean towards her. 'I didn't stop you.'

'No Gabrielle, you deserve to be treated better than that.'

'Maybe, but it happened. Do you really regret it that much?' I narrow my eyes gauging her response.

'In some ways.' She's trying not to fall into the trap.

'What ways?'

'Not that it happened, but….' She trails off and suddenly becomes very interested in her food.

'But..?'

'Let's talk about this later.' She shifts uncomfortably, refusing to look at me. I allow her this one win, but I know this is far from over. We finish our meal in silence, make our way to the room in silence, sit there in silence. Too much silence; it's beginning to drive me crazy.

'So can we talk now?' I flop down on the edge of my bed to take my boots off. I watch as Xena paces back and forth in front of the fire. 'Xena?'

'I'm thinking.' Her tone is a little gruff.

'What's there to think about?'

'I don't think this is a good idea.' She stops pacing and slumps, defeated onto her bed only a few feet away from me.

'What? Talking?' Her eyes narrow at me.

'No, having something between us. It's not smart.' She starts to mumble under her breath but I can't make out what she's saying.

'But there is something Xena.' I'm trying to keep myself calm, my voice quiet.

'I'm sorry this is all my fault. I shouldn't have….we can't, don't you understand?' She looks at me pleadingly,

'Don't you understand, it's too late. What's done is done and we can't just go back to the way it was before.' I watch as her fist clench tightly, her knuckles turning white. I can almost hear what she's thinking. 'Xena, you know if you leave I'll only follow.' A deep growl emanates from within her throat, but her eyes are downcast, staring at the floorboards.

'I thought you loved me?' I whisper nearly inaudibly. Her defenses soften but don't drop altogether, as her hands unclench.

'I do.' There's a crack of emotion in her voice, but she refuses to look up. I feel myself being pulled towards her so I go, falling to my knees before the often stoic and emotionless woman. My hands touch her knees hesitantly, barely making contact as I try to peer up into the azure eyes.

'We can start over, take it slow. We can't pretend these feeling don't exist but we can learn to adapt to the new life they bring. We both would give our lives to save the other, and we would have done that whether you…..expressed your feelings or not.' I single tear falls from her cheek, landing on the back of my hand. I stare at it for a moment, wondering why she's so afraid.

'Gabrielle.' Her voice is strained, like she's been crying for hours. She swallows hard, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. 'I don't think you understand. I've never loved someone like I love you and we aren't even…..' She trails off, eyes brimming with unshed tears. I wait, let her compose her thoughts. She takes a deep breath before continuing.

'I'm afraid. Of these feelings, of what you can do to me.' Her hand falls from my face. I can't believe she's even admitting anything let alone being afraid. She so very rarely expresses her thoughts and feelings, this is Xena at her most vulnerable.

'I would never do anything to hurt you.' I don't know how I can convince her, she's everything to me.

'I know, not intentionally anyway.' She mumbles, staring off at the wall.

'Xena.' She refuses to turn, so I make her. 'Xena!' The force in my voice brings her eyes back to mine. 'You don't think I'm afraid you'll hurt me? In fact I know you will, it's part of your nature, but I want you all the same.' Pain flashes across her eyes.

'You think I'd hurt you?' Her brow furrows, anger tingeing her voice. I sigh.

'Xena, I have no illusions about you. I don't expect you to do something foreign to you and adapt to it like it's second nature.' Her face relaxes slightly. 'I love you and I want you to love me.'

'You're always so positive.' A smile briefly flashes across her face. I stand up, retreating back to my bed.

'So, let's really talk now.' I fold my hands in my lap. She clears her throat as she leans over to unlace her boots.

'Don't think this is going to be some easy fairy tale romance.' She grumbles.

'Nothing about us is easy.' Throwing her boots to the floor, she lays back and sighs.

'Gabrielle, I don't want you to have any illusions about this.' Her pessimism is beginning to grate on my nerves.

'Can't you just let yourself be happy for once, or is being miserable part of your redemption plan?' She shoots back up into a sitting position, eyes glaring angrily at me.

'You are nothing but a stupid kid!' She spits the words at me as she stands, gathering her things up. 'You think everything is so black and white, but you're wrong.' Each word is hitting me like a knife in the chest; but I hold back the tears and keep my face stoic. 'You need to grow up, because I'm tired of having to save you from yourself!' She turns, stomping out of the room with her boots and weapons in hand.

I'm numb and I can't move, I can barely think as her words tumble in my head. I'm just a kid. I'm just a stupid kid.


End file.
